We're actually staying in West Des Moines and it's pretty nice here. ItsBob steered me toward the Homewood Suites and so far this is the one to beat (and roughly the same price as the lesser quality Extended Stay or *gasp* my beloved LaQuinta). It was nice to come in after...okay, it wasn't a long day of driving, it was only 3 hours, but still...it was nice to come in, get settled, get some work done, then not have to figure out what we were going to do for dinner. Our suite not only has a decent kitchen, but they feed us breakfast AND have what they call a social hour in the evening. The desk gal said, "Light beer, light wine, light appetizers." That wasn't entirely true. What they really had was several kinds of bottled wine, two beers on tap (Bud Light and a local brew), and a pretty nice buffet with soup, salad, raw veggies, snack things, fondue and French bread, and a few other things.
The hotel has a pool and hot tub, plus a nice fitness room. Our room is a 1BR suite with a real refrigerator (as opposed to a mini fridge), a hot plate, a sink, and pretty much all the kitchen things we need to be happy. I usually usurp the desk in our room for my "office" and Monello has to make do for his laptop, but this time he has his own little desk set up. Down in the lobby there's a very nice sitting area with a fireplace, the breakfast/social area is large and well appointed, and there are a number of small patio areas PLUS a large patio with great furniture, a gas firepit, and TWO! large gas grills for guest use.
It is our intention to hit up Amana Colonies for some local beef and pork, then get some local corn and other veggies, and have ourselves a cookout. Because...Iowa.
We spent this evening having social hour dinner, then we walked around the nearby shopping areas, then came back and had beers and wine on the super cool patio. There are sidewalks up and down the blvd so I can take Apollo for nice walks and not just parking lot walks. So far it's perfect and I want to live here forever. After, you know, we've seen everywhere else in the US.
On tap for our Des Moines exploration:
Monello needs to have a Maid Rite and a pork tenderloin, and there's a German place called Hessen Haus that we intend to hit up.
The hotel has a pool and hot tub, plus a nice fitness room. Our room is a 1BR suite with a real refrigerator (as opposed to a mini fridge), a hot plate, a sink, and pretty much all the kitchen things we need to be happy. I usually usurp the desk in our room for my "office" and Monello has to make do for his laptop, but this time he has his own little desk set up. Down in the lobby there's a very nice sitting area with a fireplace, the breakfast/social area is large and well appointed, and there are a number of small patio areas PLUS a large patio with great furniture, a gas firepit, and TWO! large gas grills for guest use.
It is our intention to hit up Amana Colonies for some local beef and pork, then get some local corn and other veggies, and have ourselves a cookout. Because...Iowa.
We spent this evening having social hour dinner, then we walked around the nearby shopping areas, then came back and had beers and wine on the super cool patio. There are sidewalks up and down the blvd so I can take Apollo for nice walks and not just parking lot walks. So far it's perfect and I want to live here forever. After, you know, we've seen everywhere else in the US.
On tap for our Des Moines exploration:
- The Iowa State Fair will be going on, so we'll go to that, plus the whole reason we're even here is to see Heart, Cheap Trick, and Joan Jett in concert at the fair.
- Amana Colonies
- Living History Museum (we love these things)
- They have a gorgeous state capitol
- And their walking/eating/drinking/shopping area is East Village
Monello needs to have a Maid Rite and a pork tenderloin, and there's a German place called Hessen Haus that we intend to hit up.
has to say about it on FB. 
